


Cases and Chosen Family

by JoieNicole



Category: Preath, USWNT - Fandom, Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-06-23 06:11:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15600042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoieNicole/pseuds/JoieNicole
Summary: Tobin is a Major Cases Detective for the Portland Police Department. Her wife, Christen, is one of the head District Attorneys for the county. Working in the Criminal Justice field has its ups and downs and full of the unexpected. In some cases, the unexpected is a teenage girl with an attitude and a back story that the couple can't ignore.Trigger Warning: Abuse





	1. Armed Robbery

**Author's Note:**

> I've been watching way too many cop shows and this story popped into my head. Let's see where it goes! Hope you enjoy.

“Welcome, Detective. I’m glad you decided to show up.”

“Ah, shove it, Rookie. I was busy. Besides, ARod is out with a sick kid so I’m by myself today.” Tobin playfully snatched the notebook out of Officer Sonnet’s hands and began skimming through it, squinting hard at the writing. “Have you figured out anything useful or you gonna make me do all the work as per usual?”

The blonde cop lifted the crime scene tape so that both of them could duck underneath it and grabbed her book back from the older woman. “Don’t act like my handwriting is the problem with that chicken scratch you have. I’ve heard Detective Rodriguez and your wife complain about it.”

“Ha Ha. Very Funny.” Tobin dead panned as she handed her now empty coffee cup off to another officer walking by. “Seriously, Emily, what do you know?”

Sonnet walked the detective into the gas station and started pointing out pieces of the crime scene. “So, before you ask, no the security cameras aren’t real. The owner only has them so people think they’re being watched. Smart man. There was only one robber, four customers, and the cashier in the store during the hit. The perp entered at approximately 6:40 p.m. and grabbed one of the customers, who was a teenage girl, and placed a gun to her head ordering everyone on the ground and for the worker to empty the cash register. According to the other customers, when the perp was reaching for the money the girl elbowed him pretty hard in the ribs trying to get away so he gave her a direct blow to the head with his pistol, grabbed the money, and fled.”

“So I take it this is the victim’s.” The detective stated, pointing to blood splatter on the floor next to a scene marker. “Where is she now?”

“Hospital. She had a gash on her forehead that’s going to need some stitches and the EMTs wanted to check for a concussion and run some test.”

“Did any of the customers get a good look at the robber?”

Emily quickly skimmed her notes before answering, “The only thing we got was he was white, tall, and wearing black pants and a black hoodie that he had pulled up.”

“So about half of the guys in Portland. Great.” Tobin pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. “Guess I need to tell Christen I won’t be making it for our dinner plans.”

“Ooh. This is the third time this week you have stood up _the_ District Attorney. You should have never married a lawyer. She’s going to divorce you and win everything. Don’t worry, Heath, I have a couch you can sleep on.” The younger officer was trying her best to maintain a sincere face.

Tobin rolled her eyes and finished texting her wife before turning back to the cop. “Do you have anything else or can I head back to the station now?”

“Actually, I think you should head to the hospital and check on that girl. She was acting really sketchy.”

“How so?”

Once again, Sonnet referred to her notebook for details. “Well for starters she wouldn’t give me her name.”

“Well, you are creepy Em.”

“You know, I should be offended but I’ll ignore it solely based on the fact that you are joking while at work. But she wouldn’t give her name to the EMTs either or answer any questions about why she was in the store, where she lived, or about her parents. If I have learned anything about this job, people acting like that are usually trying to hide something.”

Tobin sighed and agreed. “Yeah that’s typically true. I’ll head over there and see what I can find.”

“Sounds good. I’ll finish up here.”

The detective almost reached the door before Emily called after her again, “Oh, and Heath, if you see my favorite doctor while you’re there tell her I said hi.”

Without even turning around Tobin yelled back, “If I see Kelley I’m telling her that her girlfriend is useless” as she left the store.

-

Tobin put her phone back in her pocket and tried her best to repress a small shudder. The only thing that made her more uncomfortable than hospitals was when her wife was pissed at her. Christen understood that being a detective was demanding and that the hours could be weird, her own job was similar at times, but she was still allowed to be annoyed, and she let her wife know.

The detective took a deep breath and looked around for a nurse to help her find the victim from the gas station.

Tobin was finally pointed in the appropriate direction and stopped the nurse who was leaving the patient’s room, pulling out her badge to introduce herself. “Excuse me, ma’am? I’m Detective Heath with the PPD. Can you tell me anything about the victim?”

“She needed eight stitches for a laceration on her forehead, right about her eyebrow and she has a mild concussion. Other than that, she seems fine. We’re waiting for a doctor to double check everything and sign off.” The nurse’s pager began to beep, interrupting their conversation, “Sorry, I have to handle this, feel free to go in there until the doctor comes.” And she disappeared down the hall.

The detective took a second to collect her thoughts before entering the girl’s room. It was a complicated situation. Legally, the girl was an unaccompanied minor and needed a guardian to sign her out of the hospital. Also, legally, minors aren’t supposed to be questioned by police without a guardian’s permission. When Tobin glanced through the cracked door she noticed a brunette girl that wasn’t facing her as she was finishing changing out of her hospital gown. The detective couldn’t help but notice the scars on the teenager’s back and it quickly made her no longer care about the latter of the legal issues involved.

Tobin knocked as she opened the door, startling the girl who was now pulling on her shoes. “Are you going somewhere?”

With everything that has happened that day, the teenager seemed surprisingly calm. “Yeah. I’m cleared to leave.” She answered nonchalantly.

“That’s strange because I just talked to your nurse who said a doctor still has to come by.”

The girl sighed from annoyance, “What’s strange is that some rando is in my room.”

As soon as Tobin pulled out her badge the girl rolled her eyes and sat on the hospital bed. “What do you want?”

Thankfully the detective was used to dealing with people being hostile. “Well, first I want to know if you’re alright.”

“Peachy. Next?”

“What’s your name?” Tobin asked, flipping open her notepad to jot down any information.

“Jane.”

Heath quickly looked up, surprised it was that easy. “Last name?”

“Doe.”

Tobin immediately crossed out what she had written down and put her notes back up. There went any part of this being easy, but she still couldn’t help herself from giving a little smile at the joke. “Funny. Will you at least tell me your age?”

“21.” Clearly all of these answered have been rehearsed.

This time Tobin straight up laughed. “I don’t believe that one either.”

Before she could ask another question, they were interrupted by a knock and someone entering the room.

“Tobs?”

“Hey Jules!” The detective yelled before pulling her friend into a hug. As she let go she started to introduce Julie to the teenager. “This is – “

“Dr. Ertz.” The girl cut her off which definitely got Tobin’s attention. The once confident teenager suddenly looked on edge. As if her game was over.

“So, you two know each other?”

Julie gave the girl a soft smile, “Hey Campbell. I’m going to talk to Detective Heath in the hallway real quick then we will see about getting you out of here. Ms. Hinkle is on the way.”

Tobin noticed how the girl rolled her eyes at the name and aggressively turned around to stare out the window as she followed Julie into the hallway and shut the door. “How do you know…did you say Campbell?”

“Campbell Clarke. She’s 15. As soon as I heard the nurses talk about a teenager refusing to give personal information I had a feeling it was her. She’s been in and out of this hospital her whole life.”

“That’s never a good sign. What for?”

The doctor quickly flipped through Campbell’s carts and records, “several broken bones, cuts and gashes. When being treated we often noticed malnourishment and other problems that haven’t healed properly. Nothing good, Tobin.”

“Why haven’t I heard about this, Jules? It’s clearly been a problem for a while” It came out harsher than expected.

 Julie closed her files and gave her friend a stern look. “Well, Detective, in case you have forgotten, you don’t handle child abuse and family cases. The only reason I’m telling you now is because she is part of your case. No official complaints were ever made. I made many reports to Child Protective Services but nothing ever came of it. As far as why I never just walked into your house and told you, there is this thing called Hipaa which doesn’t allow me to tell any – “

“- Okay, Okay. I get it. I’m sorry.” Tobin lifted her hands in surrender. “Anything else? Who is this Ms. Hinkle?”

Julie even rolled her eyes at the name. “Her social worker, not that she does her job.” She could see the detective trying to piece everything together and decided to help her out. “Campbell’s dad died when she was nine and her mom was arrested almost six months later. Hinkle is over her foster home placement, which is constantly changing or she is on the street so like I said, she doesn’t do her job.”

“Then why did you call her?”

“I have to Tobs. You know that. There is no telling when was the last time Campbell was actually at her foster home.”

Tobin looked back towards the door, biting her lip in thought. Before she could even say anything, Julie cut her off, reading her mind. “No Tobin. You’re not her guardian and Hinkle is already on the way. Well hopefully on the way. With that woman, it could be hours.”

“When she comes, tell her a Detective needed to take Campbell to the police station to help with an investigation. It’s not even a lie so you shouldn’t feel bad about it!”

“Tobin – “

“Jules, I promise I will take her back to her foster home and watch her walk in the door.”

The doctor eyed her suspiciously…but finally caved. “Fine. Fine! But that means you have to sign this.”

Tobin finished filling out all the needed paperwork and stuck her head back into the teenager’s room. “Hey, are you hungry? Let’s get out of here.”

-

They hadn’t talked much on the drive over to the diner and now they weren’t talking at all. Tobin wasn’t even sure that the girl was taking time to properly breathe between bites. The detective couldn’t help but wonder when her last _real_ meal was. The older woman tried not to stare, or at least not to get caught staring, so she busied herself with her own food and her phone. Honestly, she was still doing damage control with her wife, and the attorney was still winning. Once she noticed Campbell starting to slow down she decided she should start asking questions.

“You have a record?”

“What would make you think that?” The teenager grabbed another fry and crammed it in her mouth.

“You act sketchy.” Tobin figured being blunt was easier with this girl.

Campbell didn’t even skip a beat, clearly not fazed by the comment. “You’re right.”

“About you acting sketchy or about you having a record?”

“Both.”

“Hmm.” The detective sipped her coffee. “Are you going to tell me what’s on it?”

Campbell slid her now empty plate from her and scrunched her eyebrows together in thought. “Two…no three chargers of petty theft, a couple fights they chalked up for assault, property damage, and two for resisting arrest.”

Tobin squinted her eyes at the teen, trying to figure out if she was messing with her again. Christen was a human lie detector test. Tobin was good, but she wasn’t that good.  

Campbell rolled her eyes and stated matter-of-factly, “Why would I lie to someone who can look it up?”

“Good point. So, where are you staying at right now?”

This made the girl uneasy and she shifted in her seat. “What does that have to do with that robbery case?”

“Because I can’t question you about it until I get permission from a guardian. Do you think your foster parents will let that happen?” Tobin was trying to be a little more professional than earlier since she could tell the brunette across from her was getting more and more uncomfortable.

Campbell stared out the window for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts before replying, “I didn’t know the guy who robbed the store. I was there trying to lift a pack of cigarettes.” She gave a hollow laugh and lifted her hands in surrender. “Before you try to arrest me, I didn’t get a chance to actually take them. Look, I just...It would make my life a lot easier if my foster parents didn’t know about this.”

Tobin noticed the pleading in the girl’s eyes but she needed to be realistic. “I hate to bust your bubble kid, but I think they will know something happened as soon as they see those stitches.”

Campbell dropped her head and spoke under her breathe, “who said they were gonna see me?”

“What?” The detective was pretty confident that she heard her correctly but the teen just ignored her and carried on.

“Seriously Detective – “

“Tobin. You can call me Tobin.”

“I can’t help in your case so there is no need for you to speak to my foster parent’s. And, if it makes you feel better, I’ll even tell them about what happened today but I want to do it myself. Alone.”

The older woman didn’t believe that for a second but the waitress had just dropped off her to-go order and she really did need to get back to the police station. Against her better judgement, she finally agreed, “Okay. But we need to stop but the court house.”

Once again, the teenager got nervous, “wh…why?”

Tobin laughed and gave the girl a reassuring smile. “Relax, kid. We’re just going to take this cake over to my wife. She’s a District Attorney and she’s still there finishing up a case. Then I’ll take you home.”

-

Christen was focused on the files in front of her when she was interrupted by a knock on the door. Without looking up she yelled, “Come in!” She might have still been reading but she was certain she had heard her office door open so why was no one talking? She had to stifle a laugh when she finally looked up. A hand was sticking through the cracked door holding a to-go bag.

“That better be apology cake.”

“Yes,” Tobin answered, still standing behind the door, “but more importantly…”

The lawyer was quick to reply, “Can’t say I can think of anything more important than cake.”

“Ouch.”

Tobin completely entered the room and held the bag just out of her wife’s reach and waited for a kiss. Christen rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her smirk as she caved, giving Tobin a quick peck and snatching the bag. She wasted no time propping up her feet up and digging into the chocolatey goodness. 

“So, you picked up an armed robbery case? Everyone okay?”

“For the most part…” Tobin looked behind her and Christen followed her gaze. The lawyer has been so concerned with her dessert that she had not noticed the girl standing in the doorway. She quickly dropped her feet and adjusted her blazer.

Tobin laughed, watching her wife try and regain her professionalism, and decided she would handle the introductions.

“Babe, this is Campbell Clarke, she’s … helping with the case. Campbell this is my wife, District Attorney Christen Heath.”

“Pleasure to meet you. Would you like to take a seat?” Christen motioned to one of the chairs in front of her desk.

The teenager remained back and simply shook her head.  

Christen stared at the girl, like she was piecing together a puzzle before her wife interrupted her thoughts.

“Actually, I need to be getting Campbell home. I just wanted to – “

“Suck up.” The lawyer interrupted with a grin.

“I live to please.” Tobin relied with a bow. “After I drop her off I have to run to the station to finish some paperwork then I’m heading home. What’s your plans?”

Christen pointed to a large stack of papers sitting on the corner of her desk and that was answer enough.

“Got it. So, I don’t need to wait up.” The detective leaned over to give Christen a quick kiss on the forehead.

As she was pulling away, her wife grabbed her arm and whispered, “You said Campbell Clarke, right?”

“Umm. Yes?” She responded, unsure why her wife was seemed so intrigued.

“Okay.” Christen gave a smile. “Just sounds familiar.” She responded, reading her wife’s mind. “It was nice to meet you Campbell.”

The girl only gave a small nod in return.

“I’ll see you at home.” Tobin threw her wife a quick wink and turned to the teen itching to get out of the office. “Let’s get out of here, kid.”

-

After many misleading answers, Tobin was finally able to pull Campbell’s address out of her. If the vagueness and attitude alone wasn’t enough, the younger brunettes constant leg shaking told the detective she was nervous about going home.

“I bet you’re about ready to crawl into bed, huh?”

The teen didn’t answer, she remained staring out the window of the car.

“Look, you don’t have to tell your foster parents that you were planning on stealing from the store. Just say you stopped by to use the restroom or something. A bad guy showed up and you’ve been helping the cops find him. There is no way they should be mad about that.”

Once again, Campbell didn’t respond. It had been so quiet that when she suddenly said, “Stop” it made the detective jump and slam on the breaks. Tobin looked both ways realizing that no car was coming and no animal or person was crossing the street.

“Why am I stopping?”

“I’m getting out here.” The girl stated, reaching for the door handle.

“What do you mean? We’re still a block from your house?”

“If they see me getting out of a cop car they’ll be pissed. I’d rather walk.”

“My car is unmarked. They won’t know.”

Campbell looked directly at the detective, “Yes. They will.”

Something in the girl’s eyes made the detective trust her. “Okay. But I’m driving ahead and watching you walk through the door.”

“Whatever.” The teenager responded without looking back and she slammed the door.

Tobin parked across the street from the address Campbell had given her. She turned off her lights and watched as the girl walked up with sidewalk and into the front door. She felt relieved when she saw an older gentleman walk past the living room window. At least the girl hadn’t tricked her into dropping her off at drug house or with some random guy she was staying with.

-

After filing for a warrant for the security cameras across the street from the gas station and finishing up extra paperwork, the detective headed home. Christen was still at the office so Tobin entered the dark house and made her way to the kitchen. After today, all she wanted was a beer, a shower, and her bed. She handled the first two task with ease. She tossed and turned for what felt like hours and decided she would just watch corny infomercials until her wife got there.

Around 9:30 p.m. she received a text saying.

CHRISTEN: Headed home. X.

Since then, the detective kept repentantly checking her phone. They only lived about 15 minutes from the court house and it had been almost 30 since her wife’s text. Just before she began to truly panic her phone started ringing.

            “Hey Chris, I was about to call you. Did you get lost?”

She said with a smile which quickly dropped to confusion.

            “What do you mean you’re at the hospital?”


	2. House Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go guys! I knew where I wanted to take this chapter but struggled to actually get the words out so I hope you like it!  
> Also if you missed the trigger warning on the main page there is discussion of abuse.

_Earlier that night_

Christen spent the night on her computer. After she finished organizing her current case she began looking through her old files and notes trying to finish a puzzle she had started in her mind. Then she found it. She was relieved to have figured it out but unsettled by the memory. The lawyer finally looked at the clock and cussed.

“Shit.”

She had been so caught up with her work that she had completely lost track of time. It was nearly 11:00 p.m. and now it was going to be her turn to suck up to her wife. Good thing Tobin’s favorite donut shop was open 24/7. The detective wasn’t a huge fan of Christen going to that part of town by herself at night because of the high crime rate but who could be mad at surprise donuts with their morning coffee?

Christen pulled up to the curb to park and started digging through her purse to find her wallet. She found two chap sticks, four hair ties, a water bottle, and her missing eyeliner before she actually found some cash. Just as she was about open her door she noticed someone walking behind her car in the rearview mirror. They were wearing a pullover with the hood covering their face and carrying a backpack. It was August and almost 90 degrees outside so it didn’t make much sense. She relaxed when she noticed her doors were still locked and decided to wait for them to pass before going in. The lawyer kept her eyes on the mirror, watching as the person got closer and closer. It wasn’t until she got a glimpse of the person under the hood that she got out of the car.

“Hey?”

The person kept walking without looking back. A voice in Christen’s head told her to be safe and leave them alone. She ignored that voice and quickly jogged to catch up.

“Hey.”

Christen would have sworn there was a stutter in the person’s step but they kept going, about to cross the street.

 “Campbell.”

They both stopped.

After a moment of silence, Christen slowly walked around to face the person frozen on the sidewalk. She was right. It was Campbell. But the girl kept her head low and pulled her hood even farther down in front of her face.

“Are you okay? What are you doing in this part of town?”

Campbell swallowed hard and barley spoke above a whisper.

“I’m fine.” It might have been quiet but it had a bite to it. “I’m just meeting some friends.”

The teenager’s gaze remained on the ground, refusing to look at the older woman. Christen wasn’t sure what to do in this situation. She didn’t truly know this girl but something seemed off. She just didn’t know the right questions to ask.

“Umm. Kinda late to be out meeting friends around here, don’t you think? Shouldn’t you be going home?”

The teens head snapped up. “It’s none of your business what I’m doing!” She paused when she noticed Christen’s face. She dropped her head back down and coldly said, “or your wife’s” before trying to walk away again, even though Campbell knew it was too late to run. The lawyer had already seen it.

Christen grabbed her arm to keep her in place and couldn’t help but notice the way the younger girl tensed up at the contact.

“Hey, look at me.” She spoke softly but got nothing in response. She tried again a little more sternly. “Look at me.”

Campbell pulled her hood down and slowly lifted her head to be face-to-face with the lawyer, though she refused to make eye contact. Partly because she could only see out of one of them. Under the street light, Christen noticed the corner of the girl’s mouth was busted. Higher up, she saw that most of her stitches have been ripped, reopening the wound from the robbery. If it wasn’t for the swelling, she wouldn’t have noticed the black eye from all the mostly dried blood. She tried to keep her face as emotionless as possible but she had a feeling that she was failing.  

“Seriously, I’m fine.” Even the teenager knew she didn’t sound convincing but attitude was something she didn’t need to fake. “I need to go.”

Christen stood in her path, making sure not to touch her this time.

“You _need_ to go to the doctor.”

“I’ll tell you one thing I don’t need and that’s your opinion.”

Once again Christen moved in the way so she couldn’t storm off.

“Let me take you to get that cleaned up.”

“Oh my god! What do you not get about this being none of your business?! I don’t know you! Or your wife! I just want both of you to leave me alone!” Campbell stepped around Christen and began to walk away, yelling over her shoulder, “If you keep following me I will call the cops.”

“No, you won’t.” They both knew that was a hollow threat. “But I will.” The older woman’s threat was very real.

The teenager turned on her heel and walked right back to Christen. She tried to bite her lip to fight back the tears forming in her eyes but it only made her lip start bleeding again.

“Don’t.” Was all she trusted herself to get out.

The lawyer looked at her for a second, weighing her options before replying.

“Okay.” Christen saw the girl physically relax. “But you have to let me help you get that fixed. No cops. No report.”

Campbell flipped some of her hair out of her face then crammed her hands into her jacket pockets, suddenly very antsy.

“Fine.”

-

Tobin just walked into the hospital door when her phone went off again.

            “Hey Chris, I’m here. Where do I need to head?”

            “Back outside?”

            “Okay, Okay. Where are you parked?”

The detective found her wife leaning against the back of her car while scrolling on social media. From a distance, Tobin couldn’t see any sign of injury or immediate illness. She slowed her pace and quieted her steps. As she got closer, she snatched Christen’s phone out of her hand causing her wife to jump.

“Jesus, Tobin! That’s not funny!” She took her phone back from her wife and tried to calm down her heart rate.

“Yeah, well how many times have I told you to be more alert when you’re by yourself?” She grabbed Christen’s arms and pulled her up to stand in front of her.

“Yeah, well I have never been too good at listening to you.” She gave a quick smirk before closing the space between their lips. After a moment, Tobin pulled back, remembering where they are.

“Do you know what I really don’t like? When it’s almost midnight and I get a call from my wife saying she is headed to the hospital. Why are we here, babe?”

Christen pulled Tobin in a little tighter, “Since we are listing things you don’t like. You know that donut shop you _do_ like so much? In that sketchy area of town?”

“Umm…yes?”

“Well I stopped there after work to get you some and – “

“Ohhhh.” Tobin laughed, pulling her wife’s arms off from around her neck and taking a step back. “I see what you’re doing. Trying to flirt so I won’t get upset that you went there by yourself at night.”

Christen faked offense, “I don’t have any idea what you mean.” And she started walking around her car.

Tobin rolled her eyes but followed. “I’m still not hearing why we are hanging out in a hospital parking lot.”

“I…uh… ran into someone.” The lawyer opened that passenger door and let the detective look inside.

“Campbell?”

The teenager sighed and spoke to Christen, “I thought you said no cops.”

“1. She’s not a cop, she’s a detective.”

“Screw you.” Campbell deadpanned, pissed that she listened to Christen to begin with.

The lawyer just continued, ignoring the girl’s tone. “2. She’s off duty so she’s not going to act like a detective. Right, Tobin?”

She sent a clear message with her eyes that Tobin needed to answer this correctly before all hell broke loose.

“Right…I’m just here to help.”

“See? And 3. She’s my wife. What was I supposed to do? Just not come home?”

“You should have left me alone.”

This time, it was Christen’s turn to sigh. “We’re past that. Get out of the car.”

The teen stayed put for another moment then realized that Christen was right. They were past the point of her getting completely out of this. She stepped out of the car but refused to look at Tobin. She hated the faces people make. The stupid tone they use. She wasn’t a kicked dog. She didn’t need the attention. She needed to be by herself. Campbell barely knew the two women standing in front of her but she had a feeling she wasn’t going to be by herself anytime soon.

Christen warned Tobin not to act like a cop but she wasn’t sure that she could turn it off. Especially since she could now see the girl’s face. At this point, her black eye was completely swollen shut and there was bruising forming around the cut on her lip. On top of that, the gash on her forehead was starting to bleed again. Thankfully, some of the wound was still stitched closed so it wasn’t gushing. Christen began digging through her center console and found some leftover restaurant napkins for Campbell to put on the bleeding. The detective was surprised when the teen pressed the paper towels down without flinching in pain.

Tobin stood there for a minute trying to pick her words. “How did this happen?”

She didn’t get a response so she tried a different angle. “Who did this to you?”

Still nothing.

“Campb-“

“I got into a fight with some friends, okay!”

Christen gave Tobin a quizzical look and turned back to the younger girl. “But when I ran into you on the street, you said you were on the way to meet some friends.”

“I have multiple friends.”

Tobin quickly looked over the teenager’s hands and noticed that there were no defensive wounds. She found it hard to believe that a spit-fire teen like this one wouldn’t defend herself in a fight.

“I don’t buy that.”

Campbell dropped the napkins from her face and looked the detective in the eye. “I don’t care if you buy it or not.” She changed her glare to Christen. “I agreed to get these stitches fixed, not to play 20 questions.”

“You wouldn’t go inside.”

“Of course I’m not.” The teen reiterated. “Hospitals mean reports and reports mean cops.”

The women knew that she was right. It would be hard to keep two hospital visits in the matter of hours under wraps, but it was still clear that the girl needed medical attention.

“So, what’s the plan then?” Tobin wasn’t sure what the next step would be. Thankfully her wife had been thinking ahead.

“I called Julie. She is still at work so she said she’d meet us out here when she got a chance since Campbell knows her.”

Just then, they noticed the doctor walking towards them with a bag full of supplies.

“Hey guys. Thanks for parking under a light. Step over here Campbell.”

“You can sit on the hood.” Christen injected.

The teen adjusted herself onto the car as Julie laid everything out beside her and put on a pair of gloves. “I’m going to touch your face, okay?”

Christen recalled earlier when the girl flinched at her touch and was glad that the doctor knew to warn her. She watched as the blonde lifted the teen’s chin, moving it around to see better in the streetlight.

“You’re going to want to ice your lip.” She lightly used her fingertip to press around the girl’s eye. “Hopefully the swelling will go down enough in the next few days so you can use it again. Where you able to see out of it before it closed?”

“Yeah, I could.”

Dr. Ertz nodded and started pressing around her gash. “What all are you on right now?”

Campbell pretended that she didn’t notice the way the detective behind her shifted her weight slightly at the question.

“Not much.”

The doctor squinted her eyes at the girl and pressed a little harder on the bruising waiting for a reaction. “You’re lying.”

The teenager looked past the doctor who was still holding her face and her leg began to shake, which Julie noticed.

“Is it over the counter meds?”

“No.” Campbell answered quietly.

“That’s what I thought. Well, you’re obviously going to need new stitches but these butterfly strips will work for the time being.” The doctor removed the bandages from the wrappers and placed them on the teen’s wound before covering them with gauze. She then pulled out her pen light and clicked it on. She moved it side to side and few times and watched as the younger girl followed it with her uninjured eye. “Ice and rest, okay?”

“Wait, that’s it?” Tobin was confused as to why her friend was taking off her gloves. “Don’t you think she needs more? I mean, what if there is something deeper? Like what if that bone is fractured?”

“Baby, I don’t think she can bring an x-ray machine out here.”

Before Tobin could rebuttal, Julie turned back to Campbell. “Is your orbital bone broken? The one around your eye? And don’t lie.”

The teenager lightly shook her head ‘no’.

The doctor walked closer to her friends to have a more private conversation.

“It’s not broken.” She noticed their expressions and continued, “She knows what that feels like. And even if it was fractured, there is not much you can do but wait for it to heal.”

“Okay, but what about her stitches?” Christen questioned.

Julie looked at her watch and then back towards the hospital. “I’m still on the clock. I really need to be getting back in there. Plus, I don’t feel comfortable stitching someone up in a parking lot.”

“How long are those strips going to work then?” The lawyer looked back at the teen and noticed the blood already starting to show through the bandage.

“Not long enough. I brought some extra gauze and butterfly strips. They are only going to do so much but unless you plan on physically dragging her inside it’s just going to have to do.”

“Wait.” Tobin suddenly had an idea. “Kelley. Is O’Hara still here?”

“No, she got off a few hours ago. Why?”

“We can go to her house. She can stitch her up there.”

“Do you think she’s still awake?” Christen glanced at the time on her phone. “It’s midnight.”

A smirk grew on Tobin’s face. “Don’t you remember that time we received a call at 2 a.m. from Kelley and Emily needing to crash at our house because they were blackout drunk and lost their keys? They owe us.”

The doctor shook her head, not at all surprised by the story. “I’m glad they called you guys instead of me and Zach. But drive around to the door and I’ll run in and grab a suture kit for you to take over there.”

“Thanks Jules.” Christen sincerely smiled at her friend. “I would hug you but god knows what germs you are covered in right now.”

“I get it. If you need anything else call me. I’m on a 6 to 6 shift but I’ll try to answer.”

The couple walked back to the car as Julie jogged back into the hospital.

“Alright kid, do you want to ride with me or Christen? We have one more stop to make.”

-

“Come in!” Kelley yelled as she starred at the coffee pot in front of her, willing it to finish brewing. When she heard footsteps entering the kitchen, she turned. “Oh shit. You were serious about it being a kid. Wait, did you kidnap her?”

“Yes.” Campbell was quick to answer.

“Hey, Em?” Kelley yelled down the hall. “Our friends stole a child.”

After some shuffling, a very tired Emily appeared in the kitchen. “They said they needed you, not me. Oh hey!” She said noticing the girl. “You’re that teenager from the robbery.”

Campbell turned to glare at Christen. “What do you know. Another cop.”

Christen raised her hands in surrender, “In my defense, I didn’t know we would end up here.” She was saved from further damage by the sound of the coffee pot going off.

 “Oh, thank god” Kelley huffed, quickly filling her mug.

“Kind of late for coffee, don’t you think?” Christen questioned.

“I’m about to put a needle to that kid’s head. I think it would go better if I was awake.”

“Please be awake.” The teen mumbled as the doctor pointed to one of the chairs at the kitchen table. She took the seat beside her and extended her hand.

“If I’m going to be stabbing you I should at least introduce myself. I’m Dr. O’Hara but you can just call me Kelley. Or Kel. Or KO. Or O’Hara. Really I answer to anything.”

“Campbell. And please don’t refer to it as stabbing.”

“Ah, good point. I’m going to put some of this numbing gel around the gash then get started. You ready?” She asked, dramatically pulling on her latex gloves with a snap. As soon as she opened the suture kit Tobin turned around.

“Nope. I’ll be in the living room.” She quickly exited before anything involving needles could take place.

“You two need to follow her. The last thing I need is Em passing out or helicopter Chris watching over my shoulder.” Kelley leaned in closer to Campbell and spoke in a fake whisper. “Her stare makes me nervous.”

“If you didn’t do stupid shit all the time I wouldn’t have to give you the stare.”

“I apologize Mrs. District Attorney Heath. Now will you please take Officer Sonnett and leave my operating room. You may join your wife in the waiting room.”

“I just want to go back to sleep.” Emily groaned as Christen pulled her into the living room.

-

“So, Tobin” Emily started, laying down on the couch and dropping her feet into the detective’s lap. “When are you going to make some arrest for this?”

Tobin immediately shoved the officer’s legs off of her and shrugged.

“What do you mean?” Emily dramatically mimicked Tobin’s shoulder shrug. “Your report said you dropped her off at her foster home and then you find her looking like that. I may not be a detective yet but it seems pretty clear that it was one or both of her foster parents.”

“I agree.” Tobin said reluctantly, rubbing her hands through her hair. “But she doesn’t want to report.”

“When has that stopped you before?”

“It hasn’t stopped me. I just…need time to either talk Campbell into making a formal statement against them or I need to find something else that I can stick on them then pull a confession. Surely this isn’t a one-time thing. Maybe they have a past record or atleast complaints against them.”

“All you need is probable cause.” Emily yawned, now almost completely back to sleep.

Tobin put her head in her hands and looked over to her wife who was leaned back in the recliner. The day was finally starting to hit them and they were drained. “So, what next, Chris?”

“Check records and reports tomorrow on her foster parents. I’ll see what I can find on my end through past cases. I may even be able to talk Ali into looking through her files now that she’s a magistrate for the juvenile and family court.”

“Yeah that sounds good. But…I meant what are we going to do tonight? We can’t just take her back to that house. And from what Jules says, her social worker is useless.”

Christen rubbed her eyes willing her brain to work. She was coming up short. As soon as she looked at her wife she knew exactly what she was thinking. “Tobin. You can’t save everyone. You know that.”

“We can’t just drop her off in the neighborhood at 1 a.m. to meet those friends who may or may not exist. And if they do exist over there they’re probably trouble. I don’t want to go into work tomorrow and find her in the holding cell or worse. Her record is long enough already and she doesn’t need to go back to juvie.”

“ _Back_ to juv…you didn’t tell she had a record.”

Tobin sat back and gave her wife a challenging look. “Yes, Christen. Does that mean she has any less of a right to be protected?”

“I’m not saying that. I’m just…we’re not foster parents.”

“And I’m not saying that. It doesn’t have to be long term. Just until we find somewhere we know is safe for her to go.”

Christen took a deep breath, sliding farther into the chair. “My guess is that she tends to run away.” She looked her wife in the eye so that she could read her expression. “So, you know that the chances of her being gone tomorrow when we wake up is high.”

“Yeah, that’s a possibility.”

“And you also know that the chances of her emptying out our house when she runs is also pretty high.”

“She’s only ever been picked up for petty theft but yes, it’s also possible.”

“But you’re sure about this?”

“Yes. Are you?”

They were interrupted by Kelley and Campbell joining them in the living room.

“Okay guys, she should be good to go.” The doctor glanced down at the couch and noticed Emily out cold and softly snoring. “I’m definitely leaving her out here so I can stretch out and take up the whole bed. Em somehow always ends up pushing me to the edge.”

“Ew.” Tobin started, scrunching up her face. “I never want to hear anything about you and Sonnett in bed.”

“You don’t get to complain when you’re the one who woke me up in the middle of the night for some sketchy house call.”

“Sure I do. You owed us.”

“Thanks again, Kel.” Christen stood and hugged her friend goodbye before turning to the other two. “Alright let’s get out of here.”

Once they were on the other side of the door Campbell spoke up. “I can walk from here.”

“Nope.” The lawyer stated quickly and with a tone that made it clear it wasn’t up for discussion. “You’re coming to our house.”


	3. Kitchen Sink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow guys, I suck. Sorry it has been so long since I updated. Between school and work my life just got crazy. Thanks for sticking with me though! I will try and get out another chapter this week to make up for the absence. Hope you enjoy. I've been dealing with a bit of writers block so this chapter is little short.

Campbell stared out of the window of Tobin’s jeep. It’s almost 1:30 in the morning. By this time she is usually asleep at a tent city or passed out on some drug dealer’s couch. She is known for being resourceful, crafty, a step ahead of everyone. She knows how to survive and stay low, yet here she is. Trapped.

“I pretty sure you are literally kidnapping at this point.”

“Yeah, well. Good thing I’m a dirty cop and laws don’t apply to me.” Tobin stated, eyeing the girl.

“Please.” The teen spat, rolling her eyes. “You are nowhere near a dirty cop. I would have met you before today if you were.”

The detective shifted her glance between the road and Campbell. “Who in the hell are you hanging out w…you know what. I’m too tired. That’s another conversation for tomorrow.”

Tobin parked her jeep beside Christen’s car and quickly walked to the door. “Home sweet home, kid.” After catching a look from her wife she continued. “uh. For now, at least.”

“I’ll grab you something to sleep in while Tobin shows you around.” Christen added, before disappearing down the hall.

“Right.” Tobin began walking around the house, pointing as she went. “Here we have the living room, right through there is the kitchen and dining room. Past that is the laundry room. The room over on this side is the office Christen and I share.” She began down the hallway as Campbell followed. “Down at the end of the hall is mine and Chris’s room. This is the bathroom and right across is the guest bedroom, AKA where you will be crashing.”

The teen scanned the room. It was a modest house but it was nice and well put together. Nothing like she was used to and that made her uncomfortable. More uncomfortable than the fact she was with strangers.

“I uh…” Campbell started, looking at the bed. “Are you sure you don’t want me to just sleep on the couch? I’m still pretty gross and I don’t want to mess anything up.”

Before Tobin could answer, her wife had joined them in the hallway with her arms full. “Nope. Here are some shorts and a t shirt you can sleep in, plus here is a pack of underwear that has never been opened.” Christen said with an eyebrow cocked at the detective.

“What? I told you I don’t like that cut.”

“Anyway…they should fit you. Follow me.”

Campbell followed Christen into the bathroom as she opened the closet door and shower curtain. “You can find towels and extra soap in there and here is some shampoo and conditioner. Take your time and if you need anything don’t be afraid to ask.”

The girl slowly nodded her head as Christen grabbed her wife’s hand, dragging her down the hallway.

“And sleep in the actual bed!” She heard being yelled as she shut the door.

-

Campbell didn’t want to waste all of the Heath’s hot water or run-up their bill but it just felt so good. She stood there, for what felt like hours, just letting the water run over her. She finally got out when she realized she was beginning to doze while standing up. The teen dried off, changed, and headed to the guest room when she remembered something extremely important. She looked towards the master bedroom and saw that no light was coming from under the door. She turned off the bathroom light and slowly began to tiptoe across the house. Right when she reached for the front door knob a lamp clicked on in the living room.

“Freeze.” Tobin grumbled, still half asleep. “It’s after 2 am.”

Campbell turned on her heel to face the detective. “Why are _you_ sleeping on the couch?”

“Where are _you_ going this late?”

“I’m just getting my backpack. I left it in Christen’s car after we left the doctor’s house.”

“Tomorrow.” The older woman mumbled, eyes still closed.

“But, I need – “

“Tomorrow. Chris’s car is locked anyway and her keys are in our room. The last thing you want to do is wake that woman up. Go to sleep. We will get it tomorrow.”

Campbell stood still for another moment trying to decide whether or not to keep pushing the matter. She needed her bag but she was also exhausted. When she saw one of Tobin’s eyes pop open she snarled, “fine” and walked back through the house. She barely remembers shutting the door and her head hitting the pillow before she was completely passed out.

-

It was after 1 pm when the teenager finally woke up. Usually she is up and moving before the sun. She’s a busy body and the places she sleeps aren’t places you just hang out at. The girl spread out across the bed, stretching. When she finally let her muscles relax she almost drifted back off to sleep until the dull pain in her head reminded her.

She needs her backpack. 

Campbell slowly crawled out of bed and listened behind the door. Her plan was to sneak outside, get her backpack, and take off. She didn’t hear any movement in the house. She prayed that they were both gone in Tobin’s jeep because this was her chance. Worse-come-to-worse, she would come back later tonight to get it. She quickly went to the closet and thanked god that they had a couple metal hangers in the back. She started untwisting the metal as she walked into the hallway, careful not to make any noise in case they were in the back of the house.

She was almost to the living room when –

“Good morning”

The two wives were sitting at the dining room table, sipping coffee.

“Well, afternoon really.” Tobin corrected with a mouth full of donut. “I thought we slept in late. Here.” She slid the box of pastries across the table. “You should be hungry.”

The sweet smell quickly made the girl aware of the growing nausea she was feeling. She needed her backpack.

“I’m…I’m fine. I should probably get going. Get out of your hair and – “

“Is that a hanger?” Christen quickly interjected. “And why is it untwisted… were you about to break into our cars?”

“I uh…” The teen tried to look for a good explanation. “I thought you were at work.”

“It’s Saturday.” Tobin clarified, taking another large bite of donut.

“It’s also not an excuse.” Christen added, matter-of-factly.

“Look.” Campbell spat, annoyed that she had been caught. “I wasn’t going to take any of your shit. I was just going to get my backpack and leave.”

“Yeah, about that.” Tobin lifted the girl’s bag off the floor and sat it on the table. “I had already gotten it out.”

The teen quickly reached for the backpack but the older woman slid it out of reach. “First we need to talk about what’s in the bag. Sit.”

Now Campbell was pissed. “Why in the hell would you go through my stuff?” She asked through gritted teeth.

“Relax, kid. I’ll explain when you sit.”

The girl waited another moment then finally gave in and took the seat across from them.

“I didn’t plan on going through it. I took Christen’s car to go get the donuts this morning and when I parked, the bag slid and I noticed a sound.”

Tobin stuck her hand into the backpack and started pulling out three different pill bottles and placed them on the table. “Want to talk about this?”

“Screw you! I didn’t go through your belongings so why are you going through mine!?”

“Well, for starters, they’re not your belongings.” Christen was in full lawyer mode. “Unless you also go by Mary Ann Taylor, Cassie Stafford, or Kenneth Bright.”

The younger girl’s leg started to shake. The pain in her head was growing and she felt sick to her stomach. The last thing she wanted to deal with was this.

“I still don’t see how this is any of your business.”

“Because you are not bringing drugs into this house.” The lawyer declared.

The teen rolled her eyes as hard as she could. “Don’t act like its meth!”

“Pills are the number one cause of addiction in America right now.” Tobin stated, finishing off her coffee. “When you are taking pain pills that aren’t yours then, yes, it is a drug.”

“It’s not like I am taking them to get high! I’m just – Just give me my shit so I can go!”

Christen quietly got up while the other two continued to argue. She picked up all three bottles of pills, taking off the caps as she walked. She was dumping them all down the kitchen sink before Campbell knew what was happening. She didn’t even have time to completely stand up before Christen had turned on the garbage disposal.

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!”

The lawyer talked slowly so maybe the girl would understand this time. “There. Will not. Be drugs. In this house.”

The teen was physically turning red but it was quickly changing to ghost white as the nausea set back in.

The detective took this chance to speak up. “Here is the deal, kid.” She once again pointed to the seat across from them but the girl refused to take it. She just stood there with her arms crossed, seething and sick.

Tobin just continued. “You’re going to stay here this weekend – “

“Like hell I am!”

“That’s fine.” Christen responded calmly. “We can just call your social worker to come get you. That is after Tobin makes a report charging you with possession of opioids.”

Campbell clenched her jaw. Neither seemed like good options. Her body was already feeling shaky and she really just wanted to lie down.

“Fine.” She said, realizing that at the least, she was safe here and she headed back to the guest room. There would be plenty of time this weekend to sneak out and find more medication. Until then, she was going back to sleep.

- 

"We have no ideas how to deal with her withdrawals."Christen leaned forward on the table, running her hands through her hair.

Tobin began to slowly rub circles on her wife's back noticing the tension. "I will make some calls. See what advice Julie and Kelley has. We will figure it out."

After another minute, Christen stood and grabbed her coffee mug. "Its going to be a long weekend." And she made her way refill her coffee. 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I have a few story points in mind but I'm always home to suggestions. Throughout the story I'll be adding other character's as well. Appreciate you reading.


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